1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in gate-opening and closing apparatus and more particularly, to gate-opening and closing apparatus and methods therefore which shift a gate between an open and closed position and which also permits overriding by operatively disconnecting a drive member from a motive means during a power outage.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, there have been a number of gate opening and closing assemblies and particularly, automatic type opening and closing assemblies. These gate assemblies have received increasing prominence in many commercial applications. There are several types of gates which are moved from a closed position to an open position in order to provide access and back to a closed position in order to provide a type of security. One type of gate has one vertical side portion thereof hingedly mounted so that the other vertical side portion is swingable away from a stationary structure to an open position and back toward the stationary structure to a closed position.
Another one of the problems encountered with gates and the associated opening and closing apparatus is that of security. Typically, after the gate has been shifted to a closed position, there must be some type of positive locking action in order to prevent unauthorized opening of the gate. Finally, in the event of an emergency condition, such as a power failure, there must be some provision for overriding the entire apparatus so as to permit manual opening and closing of the gate.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,599 dated Jul. 3, 1979, there is provided a gate opening and closing assembly which is designed to shift a gate in a linear path between closed and open positions. This gate opening and closing assembly also used a drive motor along with a gear operable drive mechanism for rotating a pair of lever arms in order to shift a gate between the closed and open positions. A manually operable override mechanism was provided in this apparatus, although the override mechanism deals with the disengagement of a clutch.
The present invention obviates these and other problems in the provision of a gate opening and closing apparatus and method which is provided with an override means such that a drive member can be automatically disconnected from a motor and substantially simultaneously therewith the locking mechanism can be opened in order to permit emergency manual opening and closing of the gate.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved gate-opening and closing apparatus having an override mechanism such that a drive member may be disconnected from a source of power.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the type stated which includes a manually operable release mechanism mounted on top of a drive housing and a drive member which permits coupling to a gate located on the other side of the housing and which thereby enables simple and rugged construction of the apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved type of gate opening and closing apparatus of the type stated in which a drive shaft is utilized to manually open a gate on loss of power.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an emergency gate-opening apparatus of the type stated which can be manufactured at a relatively low unit cost and which is highly efficient and reliable in its operation.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an emergency gate opening apparatus of the type stated which is constructed so that it requires a minimum amount of space and further, can be mounted in a wide variety of positions relative to a gate so as to be unobtrusively located relative thereto.
It is another salient object of the present invention to provide a method of opening a gate with a motive means along with an emergency override system which allows for manual disconnect of a drive member from the motor and substantially opens a locking mechanism therefor.
With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.
An apparatus for shifting a gate from a closed position to an open position on emergency from loss of power to a motive means. The apparatus generally comprises a housing along with a motive means, such as an electric motor, operatively associated with the housing. A drive member is operatively connected to the motive means and is capable of being connected to a gate for causing shifting movement of the gate. Typically the drive member is connected to the motive means by means of a drive shaft which extends from the housing.
The apparatus comprises a manually operable release member which is operatively connected to the locking mechanism and to the drive member. The release member functions as part of an override means and is capable of disengaging a drive shaft from the drive member, operatively disconnecting the drive member from the motive means, and more particularly disconnecting the drive member from the drive shaft.
In one embodiment of the invention, the locking mechanism uses a locking pin or locking rod. The locking pin or locking rod is adapted to be essentially operable with the energization of the motor so as to move the drive member with the locking rod to form a locking position with the drive member. When the motor is de-energized, the locking pin or locking rod is adaptable to shear and disengage the drive member from the motive means thereby permitting the gate to be opened manually.
As indicated above, the drive member is effectively operatively disconnected from the motive means when the locking pin or locking rod is sheared and the gate is actuated manually. This may be accomplished by means of an actuating plate mounted on the motive means base which axially turns to open the gate in relationship to the drive shaft. Consequently, the drive shaft is disengaged from the motive means and allows for rotation of the gate drive shaft disengaged from the drive means and allow manual opening of the gate on loss of electrical power. Thus, when the release mechanism is actuated by shearing of the locking pin or locking rod, the actuating shaft would be displaced axially from the motive means and thereby allow the gate drive shaft to displace and allow manual movement or opening of the security gate.
In another embodiment of the invention, the release member may be manually operable as aforesaid and may be located on top of the housing with respect to the drive shaft. Thus the drive shaft will be located on top of the housing on a base plate which fits on top of the motive drive plate which rotatably moves axially to extend the drive shaft and open the security gate. This is advantageous in that it provides a safety feature on loss of electrical power for access of fire department vehicles or emergency vehicles in general. The gate is therefore not locked in position from loss of electrical power to the motive means of the gate operator drive shaft. Moreover, by locating the drive plate with the locking pin or locking rod on top of the motive means housing and with respect to the release means being an inexpensive nylon locking pin or locking rod, the construction is greatly simplified and in addition, cost of construction is substantially reduced. This is all enabled by the use of the drive shaft and the concentrically located actuating shaft which is capable of being axially shiftable within the drive shaft to axially displace the drive shaft and actuate the gate manually.
The release member preferably comprises a drive plate and a base plate mounted on top of the gate operator housing. The drive plate is adapted to fit a locking pin or locking rod and a permanent bolt to maintain the drive plate mounted on the base plate on the housing of the motive drive mechanism. On loss of electrical power to the motive drive mechanism, the drive plate is subject to manual force which shears the locking pin thereby allowing pivotal movement of the drive plate on the permanent bolt connecting the drive plate and base plate of the motive drive housing and allowing the gate to open. The locking pin is fabricated from a soft nylon or polyethylene material of specified shear strength to allow normal gate closure and opening in regular use. On loss of electrical power to the motive drive mechanism, it may be necessary to allow emergency vehicles into an area secured by the utility gate and a specific manual force can be applied to the gate itself, transferring this force to the housing of the motive drive mechanism by the drive shaft. The drive plate is supported onto a base plate of the motive drive mechanism by two supporting members, a permanent bolt and a soft material shear locking pin. The force transmitted by the drive shaft will apply axially onto the motive drive mechanism plate thereby causing the shear locking pin to shear and allow axial movement of the plate, thereby releasing the gate and allow entry into the secured area. The force on the gate will allow rotation into a release position and allow entry into the secured space. The shearing of the locking pin is adapted to cause an axial displacement of the actuating rod to thereby operatively disconnect the drive shaft, when the release shear locking pin is sheared in two and the gate is shifted to the override open position.
A normal configuration of a motive drive mechanism includes a top plate which supports the gate drive shaft. Axial rotation of the top motive drive plate guides the gate into an open or closed position by the motive drive mechanism. The present invention provides for a second plate which fits the configuration of the first motive drive plate. The top plate is drilled or fitted with two circular holes to allow penetration of the shear locking pin in the first hole and a threaded bolt in the second hole. The shear locking pin is also threaded to fit into the second plate. The two threaded fittings on the second plate allow for a secure connection of the plates to transfer axial movement from the first plate driven by the motive drive mechanism to the second plate which is connected to the drive shaft of the motive drive mechanism. The two plates are engageably connected to interact as one plate and thereby transfer the axial movement of the motive drive mechanism. The first and second plates are designed so as to cooperate with each other. The first threaded hole on the first plate will fit the shear locking pin and the second threaded hole will fit the permanent engaging bolt to secure the second plate to the first plate. The motive drive mechanism will turn the first plate in an axial motion with the second plate following the same motion from the motive drive mechanism. Consequently, when the first plate is rotated, the total mount of displacement is transmitted to the second plate which is engaged with the motive drive mechanism drive shaft. The motion of the motive drive mechanism is transferred to the motive drive mechanism drive shaft and thereby moves the gate into an open or closed position.
This invention possess many other advantages and has other purposes which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of the forms in which it may be embodied. These forms are shown in the drawings forming and accompanying part of the present specification. They will now be described in detail for the purposes of illustrating the general principals of the invention, but it is to be understood that such detailed descriptions are not to be taken in a limiting sense.